Method of constructing a board-type fence

ABSTRACT

A method of constructing a board-type fence which is of substantially identical appearance on both sides and which eliminates the need for nails in the construction thereof which comprises constructing and assembling two different fence panels or modules by passing a pair of spaced parallel rods through a predetermined number of fence boards arranged in aligned side-toside relation with the rod ends projecting outwardly from the sides of each panel; the rods of both modules are spaced apart from each other at exactly the same distance; however, the rods of one panel are spaced differently from a reference end of the panel from the rods of the other panel; each fence post is provided with two pairs of holes that are offset from each other, the holes of each set being spaced apart a distance exactly equal to the rod spacing of each panel; thus, with regard to a given fence post, the rod ends of a first panel will project into one pair of spaced holes in that fence post whereas the rod ends of the other fence panel will project inwardly into the other pair of spaced holes on the opposite side of the fence post.

United States Patent Mann 1 July 1, 1975 l l METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING A BOARD-TYPE FENCE [57] ABSTRACT Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Attorney, Agent, or FirmWilliam S. Dorman A method of constructing a board-type fence which is of substantially identical appearance on both sides and which eliminates the need for nails in the construction thereof which comprises constructing and assembling two different fence panels or modules by passing a pair of spaced parallel rods through a predetermined number of fence boards arranged in aligned side-toside relation with the rod ends projecting outwardly from the sides of each panel; the rods of both modules are spaced apart from each other at exactly the same distance; however, the rods of one panel are spaced differently from a reference end of the panel from the rods of the other panel; each fence post is provided with two pairs of holes that are offset from each other, the holes of each set being spaced apart a distance exactly equal to the rod spacing of each panel; thus, with regard to a given fence post, the rod ends of a first panel will project into one pair of spaced holes in that fence post whereas the rod ends of the other fence panel will project inwardly into the other pair of spaced holes on the opposite side of the fence post.

3 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures 1 METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION A BOARD-TYPE FENCE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 319.216. filed on Dec. 29. I972. and entitled FENCE STRUCTURE.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method of building a fence structure and. more particularly. to the method of building a fence structure of a substantially identical appearance on both sides thereof.

2. Description of the Prior Art Wood or board fences are in widespread use today, and these usually comprise a plurality of vertically spaced. horizontally extending boards secured to one face or side of the fence for securing the usual upright fence slats or pickets together. As a result. one side of the fence is substantially unencumbered. and of a relatively attractive appearance. whereas the other face or side is unsightly. The upright fence elements or slats are usually secured to the horizontally extending boards by nails or the like; normal weather conditions generally cause the nails to rust, and the rust or corrosion of the nails frequently stains or otherwise mars the appearance ofthe attractive side. In addition. the horizontally extending boards provide a ladder" type structure on one side of the fence which small children may climb. which not only enables them to scale the fence. but also frequently results in mishaps which cause personal injury to the child.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates a novel method of building a fence structure which is particularly designed and constructed for overcoming the foregoing disadvantages. The resulting fence is of a substantially identical attractive appearance on both sides. and is assembled or secured together in a manner which completely eliminates the need for nails. and the like. The fence structure comprises a plurality of fence sections secured together in a side-by-side or end-to-end relationship for providing a fence of substantially any desired length and for substantially any surface contour of the area being fenced. Each fence section comprises a fence panel or module attached between a pair of end posts. Each fence panel or module comprises a plurality of fence elements or fence boards which are suspended on a pair of elongated rod members which extend transversely through the fence boards and into the end posts. The rod elements, therefore. are entirely encased within the various fence elements described above. thus reducing or substantially eliminating any staining or other marring of the attractive faces of the fence structure. Each fence panel or module suspended between a pair of end posts is slightly different from the adjacent fence panel or module on the opposite sides of these fence posts and is secured to its fence posts through holes which are offset from the holes provided in the end posts for the adjacent fence modules or panels.

The connecting rod means of the present invention eliminates the need for horizontally extending board members as used in present-day fences of this type. and thus eliminates the ladder type construction and the inherent disadvantages thereof. The novel fence structure is of a simple and economical construction and involves a method of assembly which is also simple and economical.

More particularly, the present invention involves the selection of a plurality of identically sized fence boards and a plurality of substantially identically sized fence posts. A first fence panel is assembled by arranging a predetermined number of fence boards in aligned sideby-side relation, passing a pair of spaced parallel rods through aligned holes in the fence boards so that the rod ends project outwardly from the sides of each first panel. The rods in each first panel are spaced apart a predetermined distance from each other and at predetermined distances from a reference end of the boards on the first panel. for example. the bottom ends of the boards. A second fence panel is assembled by arranging an indentical predetermined number of fence boards in aligned side-by-side relation passing a pair of spaced parallel rods through aligned holes in this predetermined number of fence boards so that the rod ends project outwardly from the sides of each second panel. The rods in the second panel are spaced apart from each other the same predetermined distance as described above in connection with the first panel. However. the rods are spaced from the reference end of the boards of the second panel at different distances with respect to the spacing on the first panel. The fence posts are provided with two pairs of holes. the pairs being offset from each other. The holes of each pair are spaced apart a distance equal to the predetermined distance between the rods. Thus. when erecting a fence using the present invention, a first fence post is inserted in the ground at the desired level, one fence panel. such as the first fence panel. is attached to the fence post by inserting the rods in one pair of holes in the fence post. A second post is inserted in the ground at the opposite end of this first section and attached thereto in substantially the same manner. For the purpose of attaching a second fence section to the opposite side of the second post. a second fence panel is installed or attached to this second fence post by inserting the rod ends in the other pair of holes which are not occupied by the rods of the first section. and so forth until a fence of the desired length is achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of a fence board provided with holes for the purpose of assembling a fence panel corresponding to a first modular construction;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the fence board shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a fence board provided with a disposition of holes for constructing a panel made in accordance with the second modular construction of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a jig arrangement for assembling a fence panel representing the first modular constructlon;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the first panel assembly or modular construction;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the second fence panel or modular construction;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fence post. and

FIG. 8 is a view which illustrates the erection of a fence using the method of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGS. I and 2 show a fence board which is defined as having a pair of elongated flat side surfaces 12 and 14 which are parallel to each other and separated from each other in accordance with the thickness of the board. a pair of narrow elongated side edges 16 and 18 parallel to each other and separated from each other in accordance with the width of the board and a pair of ends 20 and 22 separated from each other in accordance with the length of the board. The upper end 22 can be tapered or pointed as desired. The board 10 is further provided with two holes 24 and 26. These holes 24 and 26 extend across the width of the board perpendicular to the side edges and are spaced apart in parallel relation at a predetermined distance from each other for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

FIG. 3 shows a similar board 100, whose outer con figuration is substantially identical to the board 10 and, therefore. the various surfaces and portions thereof shall be numbered in the same manner. The board 100, however, is provided with two holes 28 and 30 which are differently positioned on the board 100 from the holes 24 and 26. The holes 28 and 30 extend across the width of the board 10a perpendicular to the side edges thereof and are separated from each other at a predetermined distance which is substantially identical to the predetermined distance between the holes 24 and 26. However, the lower hole 28 is spaced farther away from the end 20 than is the hole 24 spaced from the end 20 in the board 10. As will hereinafter appear, the board 10 is used to form the first board panel or module whereas the board 100 is used to form the second board panel or module.

FIG. 4 shows a jig arrangement for making the panels or modules of the present invention. Shown here is a jig element 32 having a pair of openings 34 and 36 therein. The holes 34 and 36 are preferably somewhat larger than the holes 24, 26, 28 and 30. A pair of elongated rods 38 and 40 are inserted in the openings 34 and 36, respectively. A preselected number of boards 10 are slipped over the rods 38 so that the ends of the rods are received within the openings 24 and 26, respectively. The boards 10 are urged towards the jig member 32 until they are in a tight-fitting side-to-side relation. The diameter of the rods 38 and 40 are preferably substantially equal to the diameter of the openings 24 and 26 so as to make a reasonably tight fit. After the predetermined number (for the sake of illustration only, this number is ten) have been inserted or impaled on the rods 38 and 40, the ends of the rods 34 and 36 are removed from the jig 32 and the resulting panel or module is produced as shown in FIG. 5. The ends of the rods 38 and 40 project outwardly from the panel structure of FIG. 5.

In order to produce the panel structure of FIG. 6, a plurality of boards [0a are inserted or impaled on another set of rods 38 and 40 which are mounted in the jig structure of FIG. 4. After the predetermined number of boards 100 have been inserted over the rods 38 and 40, the ends are removed from the holes 34 and 36 and the resulting panel construction of FIG. 6 obtains.

The remaining element of the ultimate fence construction is the fence post 42 shown in FIG. 7. This fence post is preferably rectangular in shape and is longer than the length of the boards 10 or 10a. The fence post is provided with four holes 44, 46, 48 and 50, which extend all the way through the post 42 substantially parallel to each other in a surface 52, which is preferably somewhat wider than the thickness of the boards. The holes 44 and 48 are spaced from each other at a distance equal to the distance between the rods 38 and 40 and are designed to receive the rods 38 and 40 of the module shown in FIG. 5. The holes 46 and 50 are likewise separated from each other a distance equal to the spacing between the rods 38 and 40 and are designed to receive the ends of the rods 38 and 40 of the panel or module shown in FIG. 6.

Turning now to a consideration of FIG. 8, a first fence post 420 is inserted in a hole previously dug in the ground 54. Care must be taken to see that the hole is not so deep that the opening 44 would be too close to the ground so as to prevent attachment of the fence panel. At this point, a fence panel such as shown in FIG. 5 is placed adjacent the right-hand side of the post 42 and the ends of the rods 38 and 40 are inserted into the holes 44 and 48. It may be necessary to bang on the boards 10 or on the rods 38 and 40 to ensure a tight fit of the fence section against the fence post 420. At this time. a second fence post 42b is inserted into a hole in the ground 54 conveniently dug adjacent the righthand end of the fence section. Again, the right hand end of the rod 38 and the right-hand end of the rod 40 are inserted in the openings 44 and 48 of the post 42b and the latter may be banged with a sledge hammer to ensure a proper fit. The holes in the ground for the posts 420 and 42b can now be filled in with mortar or dirt as desired, or this operation can be performed after the fence has been completely erected.

After the post 42b has been secured against the fence section attached between the posts 42a and 42b, a fence section such as shown in FIG. 6 is brought up adjacent the right-hand side of the post 42b and the rod ends 38 and 40 are now inserted in the holes 46 and 50. Again, a sledge hammer may be desirable to assist in banging the boards and/or rods to provide a snug fit. After the second fence section has been attached to the right-hand portion of the post 42b. a third fence post 420 is inserted in a hole in the ground 54 adjacent the right-hand end of the fence section and, again, the fence post 420 is attached to the second fence section by inserting the rod ends thereof into the holes 46 and 50 of the fence post 420. After the third fence post 42c has been firmly secured against the second fence section, a third fence section (only part of which is shown in FIGv 8) can now be installed against the right-hand portion of the fence post 42c; this fence section, however. will correspond with the module shown in FIG. 5. Thus, the modules of FIGS. 5 and 6 are alternated between spaced pairs of fence posts.

When providing a right-angle corner for the fence, two fence posts 42 can be driven adjacent each other so that the holes are in alignment with the fence section to be attached. Alternatively, a fence post such as post 42 can be provided where one set of holes such as 46 and 50 would be at right angles to the other set of holes 44 and 48 so as to permit the erection of a corner for the fence using a single fence post.

Whereas the present invention has been described in paricular relation to the drawings attached hereto. it should be understood that other and further modifications. apart from those shown or suggested herein, may

be made within the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A method of constructing a board-type fence without nails and bolts from a plurality of substantially identically sized fence boards and a plurality of substantially identically sized fence posts which comprises assembling a plurality of first fence panels. each first panel being assembled by arranging a predetermined number of fence boards in aligned side-to-side relation. passing a pair of spaced parallel rods through aligned holes in said predetermined number of fence boards so that the rod ends project outwardly from the sides of each first panel. the rods in each first panel being spaced a predetermined distance from each other and at predetermined distances from a reference end of said first panel. assembling a plurality of second fence panels. each second panel being assembled by arranging a predetermined number of fence boards in aligned side-to-side relation. passing a pair of spaced parallel rods through aligned holes in said'predetermined number of fence boards so that the rod ends project outwardly from the sides of each second panel. the rods in each second panel being spaced at predetermined distance from each other equal to the predetermined distance of spacing with respect to said first panel. the rods in said second panel being spaced at predetermined distances from a reference end of said second panel which are respectively different from the predetermined distances of the rods of the first panel from the reference end of said first panel. erecting a first fence post with one end thereofin the ground attaching a first fence panel to said first fence post by inserting the rod ends at one end of said first panel into and through a first pair of spaced holes in said first fence post. erecting a second fence post with one end thereof in the ground at the opposite end of said first panel from said first fence post and attaching said second fence post to said first fence panel by inserting the rod ends at said opposite end of said fence panel into and through a first pair of spaced holes in said second fence post. attaching a second fence panel through said second fence post on the opposite side thereof from said first fence panel by inserting the rod ends into and through a second pair of spaced holes in said second fence post. said second pair of holes in said second fence post being offset with respect to the first pair of holes thereof. erecting a third fence post at the opposite end of said second panel from said second fence post and attaching said third fence post by inserting the rod ends at said opposite end of said second panel into and through a pair of spaced holes in said third fence post and repeating the operation by alternating first and second fence panels on opposite sides of each intermediate fence post with the rod ends of each first fence panel being inserted into and through a pair of holes in said intermediate fence post offset from a pair of holes provided for the rod ends of said second fence panel.

2. A method of constructing a board-type fence without nails and bolts from a plurality of substantially identically sized boards having a predetermined length. width and thickness. each board being further defined as having a pair of elongated flat side surfaces parallel to each other and separated from each other in accordance with the thickness of said board. a pair of narrow elongated side edges parallel to each other and separated from each other in accordance with the width of said board. and a pair of ends separated from each other in accordance with the length of said board; which comprises selecting a first group of said boards. drilling a first hole in each board of said first group across the width of said board at right angles to the side edges thereof and at a first predetermined distance from a preselected end thereof, drilling a second hole in each board of said first group across the width of said board at right angles to the side edges thereof and at a second predetermined distance from said first hole, selecting a second group of said boards, drilling a first hole in each board of said second group across the width of said board at right angles to the side edges thereof and at a third predetermined distance from a preselected end thereof, said third predetermined distance being unequal to said first predetermined distance. drilling a second hole in each board of said second group across the width of said board at right angles to the side edges thereof and at a fourth predetermined distance from said first hole of said board of said second group. said fourth predetermined distance being substantially equal to said second predetermined distance; selecting a plurality of substantially identically sized fence posts having a length greater than the length of said boards. having a width greater than the thickness of said boards. and having one end adapted to be received a predesigned distance within the ground; drilling a first hole through each fence post at right angles to the width thereof and at a fifth predetermined distance from said one end of said fence post, said fifth predetermined distance being slightly greater than the sum of said first predetermined distance and the distance that said one end of said fence post will be below the surface of the ground, drilling a second hole through said fence post parallel to said first hole therethrough and at a sixth predetermined distance from said one end of said fence post. said sixth predetermined distance being slightly greater than the sum of said third predetermined distance and the distance that said one end of said fence post will be below the surface of the ground, drilling a third hole through said fence post parallel to said first hole therethrough and spaced from said first hole a distance equal to said second predetermined distance. drilling a fourth hole through said fence post parallel to said second hole therethrough and spaced from said second hole a distance equal to said second predetermined distance; all of the above holes being of substantially the same diameter; impal ing a predetermined number of drilled boards from said first group there of on a pair of elongated rods passing through the aligned first holes and aligned second holes thereof. said predetermined number of impaled and drilled boards from said first group being disposed in close fitting edge-to-edge relation and forming a fence section with rod ends projecting out from the opposite ends of said fence section. repeating said impaling step with successive predetermined numbers of drilled boards from said first group to provide a plurality of fence sections of said first group; impaling a predetermined number of drilled boards from said second group thereof on a pair of elongated rods passing through aligned first holes and aligned second holes thereof. said predetermined number of impaled and drilled boards from said second group being disposed in close fitting edge-to-edge relation and forming a fence section with rod ends projecting out from the opposite ends of said fence section, repeating said last impaling step with successive predetermined numbers of drilled boards from said second group to provide a plurality of fence sections of said second group. placing a first fence post in the ground with said one end thereof said predesigned distance below the surface of the ground;

connecting a fence section of said first group to'said first fence post by inserting the rod ends at one end of said fence section into and through the first and third holes in said first fence post; placing a second fence post in the ground with said one end there of said predesigned distance below the surface of the ground, said second fence post being spaced from said first fence post and positioned at the opposite end of the last mentioned fence section; connecting said second fence post to said last mentioned fence section by inserting the rod ends at said opposite end of said fence section into and through the first and third holes of said second fence post; connecting a fence section of said second group to said second fence post on the opposite side thereof from the fence section of said first group by inserting the rod ends at one end of the fence section of said secand group into and through the second and fourth holes of said second fence post; placing a third fence post in the ground with said one end thereof said predesigned distance below the surface of the ground, said third,fence post being spaced from said second fence post and positioned at the opposite end of the last mentioned fencesectiom cpnnecting said third fence post to the lastrrie'nti'oned fence section by inserting the rod ends at said opposite end of said fence section into and through the second and fourth holes of said third fence post; repeating the steps of connecting alternate fence sections of said first and second groups between spaced fence posts until a fence of the desired length is achieved.

3. The improvement according to claim 2 wherein the boards are impaled on the rods by creating a jig arrangement having a pair of elongated parallel openings spaced apart a distance equal to said second predetermined distance; inserting an elongated rod into each opening of said jig arrangement; and sliding a predetermined number of boards onto said rods with the rods being received in the holes of said boards. 

1. A method of constructing a board-type fence without nails and bolts from a plurality of substantially identically sized fence boards and a plurality of substantially identically sized fence posts which comprises assembling a plurality of first fence panels, each first panel being assembled by arranging a predetermined number of fence boards in aligned side-to-side relation, passing a pair of spaced parallel rods through aligned holes in said predetermined number of fence boards so that the rod ends project outwardly from the sides of each first panel, the rods in each first panel being spaced a predetermined distance from each other and at predetermined distances from a reference end of said first panel, assembling A plurality of second fence panels, each second panel being assembled by arranging a predetermined number of fence boards in aligned sideto-side relation, passing a pair of spaced parallel rods through aligned holes in said predetermined number of fence boards so that the rod ends project outwardly from the sides of each second panel, the rods in each second panel being spaced a predetermined distance from each other equal to the predetermined distance of spacing with respect to said first panel, the rods in said second panel being spaced at predetermined distances from a reference end of said second panel which are respectively different from the predetermined distances of the rods of the first panel from the reference end of said first panel, erecting a first fence post with one end thereof in the ground attaching a first fence panel to said first fence post by inserting the rod ends at one end of said first panel into and through a first pair of spaced holes in said first fence post, erecting a second fence post with one end thereof in the ground at the opposite end of said first panel from said first fence post and attaching said second fence post to said first fence panel by inserting the rod ends at said opposite end of said fence panel into and through a first pair of spaced holes in said second fence post, attaching a second fence panel through said second fence post on the opposite side thereof from said first fence panel by inserting the rod ends into and through a second pair of spaced holes in said second fence post, said second pair of holes in said second fence post being offset with respect to the first pair of holes thereof, erecting a third fence post at the opposite end of said second panel from said second fence post and attaching said third fence post by inserting the rod ends at said opposite end of said second panel into and through a pair of spaced holes in said third fence post and repeating the operation by alternating first and second fence panels on opposite sides of each intermediate fence post with the rod ends of each first fence panel being inserted into and through a pair of holes in said intermediate fence post offset from a pair of holes provided for the rod ends of said second fence panel.
 2. A method of constructing a board-type fence without nails and bolts from a plurality of substantially identically sized boards having a predetermined length, width and thickness, each board being further defined as having a pair of elongated flat side surfaces parallel to each other and separated from each other in accordance with the thickness of said board, a pair of narrow elongated side edges parallel to each other and separated from each other in accordance with the width of said board, and a pair of ends separated from each other in accordance with the length of said board; which comprises selecting a first group of said boards, drilling a first hole in each board of said first group across the width of said board at right angles to the side edges thereof and at a first predetermined distance from a preselected end thereof, drilling a second hole in each board of said first group across the width of said board at right angles to the side edges thereof and at a second predetermined distance from said first hole; selecting a second group of said boards, drilling a first hole in each board of said second group across the width of said board at right angles to the side edges thereof and at a third predetermined distance from a preselected end thereof, said third predetermined distance being unequal to said first predetermined distance, drilling a second hole in each board of said second group across the width of said board at right angles to the side edges thereof and at a fourth predetermined distance from said first hole of said board of said second group, said fourth predetermined distance being substantially equal to said second predetermined distance; selecting a plurality of substantially identically sized fence posts having a length greateR than the length of said boards, having a width greater than the thickness of said boards, and having one end adapted to be received a predesigned distance within the ground; drilling a first hole through each fence post at right angles to the width thereof and at a fifth predetermined distance from said one end of said fence post, said fifth predetermined distance being slightly greater than the sum of said first predetermined distance and the distance that said one end of said fence post will be below the surface of the ground, drilling a second hole through said fence post parallel to said first hole therethrough and at a sixth predetermined distance from said one end of said fence post, said sixth predetermined distance being slightly greater than the sum of said third predetermined distance and the distance that said one end of said fence post will be below the surface of the ground, drilling a third hole through said fence post parallel to said first hole therethrough and spaced from said first hole a distance equal to said second predetermined distance, drilling a fourth hole through said fence post parallel to said second hole therethrough and spaced from said second hole a distance equal to said second predetermined distance; all of the above holes being of substantially the same diameter; impaling a predetermined number of drilled boards from said first group there of on a pair of elongated rods passing through the aligned first holes and aligned second holes thereof, said predetermined number of impaled and drilled boards from said first group being disposed in close fitting edge-to-edge relation and forming a fence section with rod ends projecting out from the opposite ends of said fence section, repeating said impaling step with successive predetermined numbers of drilled boards from said first group to provide a plurality of fence sections of said first group; impaling a predetermined number of drilled boards from said second group thereof on a pair of elongated rods passing through aligned first holes and aligned second holes thereof, said predetermined number of impaled and drilled boards from said second group being disposed in close fitting edge-to-edge relation and forming a fence section with rod ends projecting out from the opposite ends of said fence section, repeating said last impaling step with successive predetermined numbers of drilled boards from said second group to provide a plurality of fence sections of said second group; placing a first fence post in the ground with said one end thereof said predesigned distance below the surface of the ground; connecting a fence section of said first group to said first fence post by inserting the rod ends at one end of said fence section into and through the first and third holes in said first fence post; placing a second fence post in the ground with said one end there of said predesigned distance below the surface of the ground, said second fence post being spaced from said first fence post and positioned at the opposite end of the last mentioned fence section; connecting said second fence post to said last mentioned fence section by inserting the rod ends at said opposite end of said fence section into and through the first and third holes of said second fence post; connecting a fence section of said second group to said second fence post on the opposite side thereof from the fence section of said first group by inserting the rod ends at one end of the fence section of said second group into and through the second and fourth holes of said second fence post; placing a third fence post in the ground with said one end thereof said predesigned distance below the surface of the ground, said third fence post being spaced from said second fence post and positioned at the opposite end of the last mentioned fence section; connecting said third fence post to the last mentioned fence section by inserting the rod ends at said opposite end of said fence section into and through the second and fourth holes of said third fenCe post; repeating the steps of connecting alternate fence sections of said first and second groups between spaced fence posts until a fence of the desired length is achieved.
 3. The improvement according to claim 2 wherein the boards are impaled on the rods by creating a jig arrangement having a pair of elongated parallel openings spaced apart a distance equal to said second predetermined distance; inserting an elongated rod into each opening of said jig arrangement; and sliding a predetermined number of boards onto said rods with the rods being received in the holes of said boards. 